richards odes

Condemnation

Peter is my hero. I never did like John.
He said that Jesus loved him best! What a carry on!
Andrew was a nice bloke and James was Johnnie's twin
Matt had fiddled taxes. Now wasn't that a sin?
Thad might be called Judas, a name he had to change
And Simon was a terrorist! Ain't that a little strange ?
Bartholomew and Philip hadn’t much to spout
And it appears that Thomas had a little doubt!
James the son of Alphaeus is almost never heard
But vilifying Judas is really quite absurd!
Yes, he told the soldiers where Christ could be found
But he knew his master could swiftly turn things round!
All of us are tempted to take the easy way
And for sure he didn't do it for the high priest's pay!
He, like all the others, had seen their master's power
Christ would not allow the priests to take it very far!
They did not know he planned to die and to rise again
They didn’t understand it when he said it now and then!
They lost all their faith in him and hid away to mourn
And Judas felt the shame of it was too much to be borne.

He was so distraught that he could not stand his shame

He took his life because he felt that he was to blame.

Of course the others cursed him but all of them had thought

It was time to start the fight, which all every Jew had sought!

They’d all tried to hint that Christ should start the revolution

And maybe forcing him to act might be the best solution?

We really should be careful when we’re condemning brothers

For in our thoughts we could just be as guilty as the others!

Christ was never one to deal in wholesale condemnation

He told us we could count on God for our consolation.